Sunday, October 29, 2017

The Best Part of Halloween By Mackenzie Crowne

With Halloween just a few days away, my G’boy could barely contain his glee as he posed for this pic in his Captain America costume. I’m here to tell you, there are few things cuter than witnessing the unbound excitement of your grandbabies, and when the excitement involves Halloween? Oh, yeah, then I’m toast.

You see, I’ve always loved the holiday. Not so much for the spooky stuff. I’m a major weenie, after all. And not for the candy, either. I’ve never had much of a sweet tooth. No. For me it’s all about the costumes. Seriously, who doesn’t love the idea of dressing up as something clever or sexy, frightening or downright silly?

As a child, I would spend hours rummaging through the old sea chest in my mother’s cedar closet where the Halloween stuff was kept. I fondly recall the year I slipped into the beautiful, too-long, gauzy red skirt of the hand-me-down fairy dress that no longer fit either of my older sisters. A major score for my young heart.

I could barely wait for dusk to arrive, choking down the dinner Mom insisted we eat before we could go. And then it was time. Out the door into the darkness my siblings and I went. Along with hundreds of other neighborhood kids, we spent the next few hours rushing from house to house until our pillow cases bulged with treats – that then had to be hand checked by Dad before we could indulge.

To me, donning a Halloween costume has always been a magical experience. In fact, I was disguised as Peter Pan the night I met my husband. What was he dressed as, you ask? Tinkerbell, of course, complete with tutu, blond wig and makeup. With all of my heart, I wish I had a picture to show you, but alas, you’ll have to settle for one of me taken with my father an hour before hubs and I met.

And remember not so long ago, my post about my experience with that old lady’s sewing machine? 

You guessed it. I tried my hand at costumes for my boys - with pretty good results, if I do say so myself. They didn’t come out so bad. Then again, my guys were too young to complain. Either way, my enthusiasm for the holiday was passed on to them. Especially the youngest. 


He's the littlest caveman and that's him again, all grown up at 6'5" over there with my future DIL in their pixelated costumes. My, how costumes have changed, but I have to admit, theirs was genius. And, apparently she loves dressing up as much as he does. One more reason to love her.

I believe dressing up liberates people in a way, freeing them from some of their inner restrictions. That’s not such a bad thing in my book. What about you? Does the idea of dressing up fill you with horror or glee?

When Mac isn’t slipping into a fun Halloween costume to entertain the trick-or-treaters arriving at her door, she spends her time weaving HEAs for her characters, like Nicki Guimond Everson, the heroine of IRRESISTIBLE DECEPTIONS, Mac’s romantic suspense available from Entangled Publishing.

Oh, and be sure to check out Nicki and her sexy hero, Rhy, at the link below. 

  

7 comments:

Jannine Gallant said...

I'll admit I haven't dressed up in years. I used to enjoy it in my younger days--back when I could throw on a grass skirt and bikini top and still look good. LOL I loved creating costumes for my girls when they were little. I made my poor mom sew a lion costume out of fake fur for my oldest when she was two. The thread kept breaking on that thick material, and she was probably ready to kill me. However, the end result was amazing. Good memories, Mac.

Leah St. James said...

My memories are much like yours, Mac, roaming the neighborhood with the other kids, stuffing our pillow cases with candy. More often than not my sister and I pulled costumes together from our closets. I think my favorite was the year we wore the fancy Asian-styled pajamas my father had brought home (for our mom) from serving in Korea. We twisted our hair up into buns and stuck knitting needles in sideways. I think we were some semblance of geisha girls...or something. :-) My favorite adult costume was when I stuck bagels on either side of a headband (like ear "buns"), put on my choir robe and went as Princess Leia. :-) Thanks for sharing your memories. (Your son and DIL's costume is fantastic!)

Rolynn Anderson said...

The child remains in us, but it takes a pair to egg each other on...and my husband is a humbug on dressing up. Mac, you have to come to InD'Tale in Burbank next year, where all the dress-up-loving people converge. It's a hoot! I love the story of your meeting your husband. Sweet! Happy Halloween, one and all!

Margo Hoornstra said...

Talk about a meant to be. He was Tinkerbelle? Seriously? That is a hoot. I remember being a princess one year, football player the next. Go figure.

Diane Burton said...

I'm not crazy about dressing up for Halloween, but I have 2 big totes of dress-up clothes for the grandkids. I love their imagination. Great story about meeting your future husband.

Barbara Edwards said...

I made the costumes for my children and Loaning a dress to my g'daughter for ths year reminded me of the fun it was. Thanks for reminding me again

Alicia Dean said...

What a fun post! Such adorable pics. Hope you had a fun Halloween. I LOVE the story about you and your husband. It was definitely meant to be! Haha, Tinkerbell. :D